Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece [Remastered] (CD 1997)

On this subtle classic, a comparatively sombre, subdued Van Morrison emerged from the rubble of the failed marriage that a few years earlier infused his American studio sessions with a conjugal glow and journeyed home to Ireland to revive his Celtic identity. From the pale, hand-coloured images on its cover to the quieter, more skeletal arrangements of the music, 1974's Veedon Fleece originally seemed dispiriting to Morrison fans hoping for the R&B ebullience of its predecessors. Yet songs like "Linden Arden Stole the Highlights", "Streets of Arklow" and "Country Fair" anticipate the pastoral Irish lyricism that would bloom again a half decade later on Into the Music, emerging as a cornerstone of Morrison's work from the 1980s forward.
Following the blues and soul excursions of Morrison's early-'70s albums, VEEDON FLEECE returns to the dreamy, impressionistic folk-jazz sound of ASTRAL WEEKS. Temporarily forsaking the R&B growl he previously employed, Morrison explores his upper vocal range on several songs here, making good use of his falsetto. Songs turn from the romantic and spiritual (the transcendent ballad "Come Here My Love") to the impenetrably elliptical ("Linden Arden Stole The Highlights"). Throughout, Morrison's heady, improvisational vocal style weaves its way through a mystical, mostly acoustic soundscape that is often low-key but never less than engaging. VEEDON FLEECEis a beautiful and too-often underappreciated masterpiece.